


take care of yourself, keefe

by raventheoverexcited



Series: take care of yourself, keefe [1]
Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: a n g s t, ro is mad because cassius is the worst, tw cassius locks keefe up, tw child abuse, tw emotional abuse, tw hunger/starvation, tw neglect, tw panic attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:29:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23047804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raventheoverexcited/pseuds/raventheoverexcited
Summary: keefe and cassius have an argument. keefe unpacks some emotional baggage. cassius is infuriated and locks keefe in his room.very angsty, will become multi-chaptered, i promise the angst will get better (eventually)
Series: take care of yourself, keefe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656346
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. it started with a misstep

it started with another misstep.

keefe had snapped, a little too rough, and cassius had already been in a bad mood, so it was bound to happen. something would happen, of course, this was _cassius_.

“you want to talk to _me_ about being a horrible son?” keefe had said, laughing bitterly. “i might be a bad son, but _you’re_ my _father_ and you’ve done _nothing_ to show me that i‘m worth _anything_ to you. i skipped a grade, dad! i scored all high scores, i tried _so hard_ to please you! do you know that? but when i brought home that ninety-seven and you yelled at me, you grounded me, i lost hope in ever getting on your good side. it was pointless, anyway!”

cassius’ face was reddening. keefe knew he was in trouble. “you, keefe, have done nothing _meriting_ my pride. you have always fallen short of anything anyone asks, you can’t focus, and you have no self-control. i see it in the way you look at your _moonlark_ , never brave enough to stand up and gain her affections, always scared of the vacker boy. you have _no_ right to speak to me like that and you will go to your room.” he didn’t yell. his words were clear, cold, and poisonous.

keefe fled up the stairs before cassius could see the tears pooling in his eyes, brushing past ro, and fell onto his bed and sobbed.

\---

hours later, when keefe had calmed himself and started getting angry again, pacing his room, he heard his father’s voice at the door.

“i am hosting company here in fifteen minutes,” his father had said icily. “you are to come to present yourself to them and try not to make a mockery of me. understood?”

keefe threw a shoe at the door. “i won’t come to play pretend that i’m on good terms with you for your pretty friends. i’m staying in my room, and ro will take you out if you even _try_ to come in here.”

cassius was silent. “if you wish to stay in your room, so be it. i am locking the door and you will come out when you are ready to apologize for your impertinence.” the lock clicked and cassius was gone.

keefe sank to the floor, shaking. he would never apologize. somebody would find him, surely...


	2. chapter two: when will someone come?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the events of keefe's imprisonment. TRIGGER WARNINGS: panic attack, extreme hunger

nobody noticed he was gone, or if they did, they didn’t try to find him. 

ro pounded on the walls, yelling about emotional abuse and neglect, but cassius either pretended not to hear or was hiding at a different house because it had been days and keefe was running out of ways to entertain himself, let alone distract himself from how  _ hungry _ he was getting. 

there was a sink in his bathroom he was drinking out of, but he only had a limited supply of snacks and they were running out between ro and him. 

ro kept trying to give her half to him. he glared at her until she ate it. she was hungry and clearly worried. he ignored her and painted his feelings on the walls. 

a keefe with anger pinching his features together, a keefe sobbing with hands on his face, scribbly darkness, red anger, his friends coming to save him. not that they seemed to care enough to come and find him.

ro eventually sat beside him, scheming and handing him paintbrushes or paints when he asked. he wished she weren’t so angry. he wasn’t getting out any time soon, not without outside help, which obviously wasn’t coming.

he muttered a curse, wiping tears out of his eyes and smearing black paint on his forehead, then sat on the floor and stared at the wall. 

\---

it had been a week, keefe realized. he was out of paint, and his bedroom was a collage of anger and hopelessness. he was hungry all the time, he was weak for want of food, and he felt unclean and out of place. ro had stopped trying to make conversation. something had broken in him. he had retreated within himself.

once, he had gotten himself so worked up that he’d fallen into a panic, breathing laboriously and room swimming.  _ trapped--stuck--my fault--hungry--tired--so, so tired--when will someone come?--they’ve forgotten me _

“keefe?” he heard through his mental fog and gasping sobs. “keefe, snap out of it, come  _ on,  _ you’re okay, you’re sa- well, not really actually, it’ll be okay-” 

ro sounded scared. he couldn’t formulate any assurances, he could barely even  _ breathe, he’d be trapped here forever, how could he get out, someone was touching him no, no, what if it was his dad, no, no, he had to get away-- _

“keefe!” ro yelled, holding the panicking boy to her chest. “breathe, idiot, come on,  _ breathe! _ ”

suddenly the calm returned, his vision clearing. he buried his face in ro’s shoulder and cried.

“shh,” ro said gently, cursing his failure of a father. “you’re okay.”

he was not. he let himself believe her anyway.

\---

a few more days and he barely felt the hunger. it was always gnawing at him, yes, but it didn’t affect him anymore. he longed for sleep without nightmares, he longed for rescue.

would it ever come?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i told you it would get worse. i'm sorry, if that helps.


End file.
